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Harare Bureau
Health and Child Care Deputy Minister, Dr John Mangwiro, took oath of office before President Mnangagwa at State House yesterday.
Dr Mangwiro was not part of the new appointments sworn in by President Mnangagwa on Monday.
After taking the oath of office, Dr Mangwiro promised to work hard to transform the health sector. “The vision is guided by what the President said,” he said.
“We need to have new vigour, new energy, new innovations. I am sure with my minister (Dr Obadiah Moyo) we will be able to deliver.
“All we need is to make sure medicines are available. We need to make sure that the medical fraternity and everyone involved (including the public from household to individuals) are concerned with our own health because health does not begin from the Ministry.
“It begins from an individual, from a home, from a village and it expands like that. We know medicines are secondary, but the essential health aspect is prevention and I am sure that is how we are going to go about it. Most of the things that are happening like these infectious diseases we should be able to help each other prevent them.
“As a nation, prevention will help us and like I am saying health is for all. We are going to have industries, we need to make sure that they are safe and that diseases are well controlled.”
Dr Mangwiro said modernisation was also key to a vibrant health system.
“We have to be at par with other nations,” he said. “Why should we travel 15 000 kilometres to have procedures that can be done locally? We are going to modernise our hospitals.
“Health is not only in Harare and we have to decentralise and make sure that every corner of our country is covered and things that we can produce locally are produced and we will also get help from international companies that are able to make sure that we get the technology and machinery that is up to date.
“We must make sure all the facilities we have are fully functional.”
Online Reporter